


I'll Carry You

by anti_ela



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 09:11:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1599455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anti_ela/pseuds/anti_ela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blood.</p><p>On his hands, on the ground, in his hair—</p><p>Steve, too, on the ground. Bleeding. It was a sluggish flow, and Buck couldn’t remember if that was good or not, and he didn’t really look awake at all and fuck, fuck, the kid had to have done it when Buck was at work, didn’t he?<br/>/<br/>Of all the traps in all of Nazi-occupied France, it had to be the one in the creepy abandoned castle.</p><p>Not a useful thought, but one that kept itself on repeat anyway. It wasn’t collapsing around them anymore, and they’d finally managed a headcount:  only two missing.</p><p>Only.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Carry You

I.

Blood.

On his hands, on the ground, in his hair—

Steve, too, on the ground. Bleeding. It was a sluggish flow, and Buck couldn’t remember if that was good or not, and he didn’t really look awake at all and fuck, fuck, the kid had to have done it when Buck was at work, didn’t he?

He half-collapsed beside the body, catching himself on a knee. He’d just caught the tail of it, but two guys against one little kid was fucked up, and he didn’t really remember running them off but his wrist didn’t feel right and he hadn’t got out so clean, not this time. With his good hand, he pawed at Steve’s face, brushed his cheek, pushed blood aside to look for his pulse, and there. There.

Okay.

He’s alive.

Keep him that way, Barnes.

"Stevie? You hear me? I’m right here, buddy. You’re gonna be okay." Bucky maneuvered Steve with his right hand so that any weight would fall on his left forearm, then let go. And, oh, oh, that wasn’t the best idea. But he clenched his jaw and gathered Steve up and stood, stumbling back half a step before he stabilized. "I’ll carry you," he murmured into Steve’s hair. "Hold still or it’ll hurt more."

The first few steps were the hardest, but the good thing about a human body is that it really doesn’t wanna feel pain. It has all the right parts to sense and process it, but once you reach a certain threshold the brain taps out. So when he found himself in a clinic, shouting for help, he wasn’t too surprised.

Being Steve Rogers’s best friend had always been dangerous. But being Steve Rogers?

It was a death sentence.

Which is why, when the nurses noticed it wasn’t all Steve’s blood, they tried to hustle him into an exam room, too. He tried to argue. Had to see the kid patched up. But nurses, well, they’re pretty keen. Especially when a guy passes out.

 

II.

Of all the traps in all of Nazi-occupied France, it had to be the one in the creepy abandoned castle.

Not a useful thought, but one that kept itself on repeat anyway. It wasn’t collapsing around them anymore, and they’d finally managed a headcount:  only two missing.

Only.

"Bucky! Jim!"

Dum Dum was shifting rocks haphazardly, tossing them behind him. Gabe and Jacques were speaking French too quickly, gesturing too wildly, for anyone else to follow. Montgomery had rolled up his sleeves, but he’d paused and looked at Steve.

And Steve?

Steve wanted to tear the castle down.

He breathed in, out, and turned to Dum Dum. “Dugan! We need to keep the rubble stable. Your enthusiasm is appreciated, but the ground is shifting beneath us.” Then to Jones and Dernier. “You guys have something cooking up, and I know it’s promising. But for now, take the left quadrant.” With a nod to Falsworth, he said, “You’re with me at center. If anybody finds a piece too heavy for them to shift, let me know. Until then, let’s get to work.”

It took an hour, but then Dugan cried, “They’re here!”

Jim’s weak reply of “Not so loud, ace” pulled them all to Dum Dum. A hole about six inches wide was too small to be of much use, but Dum Dum had reached his hand in, grasping Jim’s, and Steve tried not to notice how bright Dugan’s eyes were in the darkness.

Eventually, those two would learn not to butt heads in a war zone, but at least it wasn’t every day anymore.

"I believe you two had some harebrained scheme," Steve said lightly, and Dernier lit up.

With the minds of Gabriel Jones and Jacques Dernier on the task, clearing the remaining stone went fairly quickly. While they couldn’t get it all, Jim was able to crawl out on his own, bum leg or no. but Bucky—

“‘M not so good, Steve,” he slurred when Steve lowered himself down.

"I know, Buck." as Steve’s eyes grew accustomed to the dark, he could just make out Bucky sitting against the remaining wall, head tilted back, eyes closed. He was holding one of his shoulders, and one of his legs was angled wrong.

Still, he was Bucky. “Juss had to go in the dracula castle, dincha?”

"There aren’t any draculas in France."

"Whatever."

Steve moved in closer. “Come on, Buck. I’ll carry you. Hold still or it’ll hurt more.” Gently, he picked up all the pieces of his friend and held him close.

"Mmf. ‘S my job."

"Yeah? Well, I’m a dirty scab."

"Knew it," he whispered, and the puff of air teased at the hair on Steve’s neck.

Steve lifted Bucky then, and several hands came down to pull on Bucky’s jacket, under his arms. As Steve watched his friend’s head loll loosely on his neck, he thought he should be used to this by now. Being Captain America was bad enough, but being his friend?

It was a death sentence.

**Author's Note:**

> written for a prompt on tumblr: "I'll carry you. Hold still or it'll hurt more." if you would like to give me prompts or perhaps insult my tagging system, i can be found at justatinysootsprite.tumblr.com.


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